Class Notes

Rachel Burgess '05

I am currently working as a Senior Geologist in Nevada for Newmont Mining Corporation. I started with Newmont almost 10 years ago, right after graduating FLC! I've worked on almost every surface deposit along the Carlin Trend, one of the worlds most prolific gold belts. I love living in Nevada and was pleasantly surprised to learn about all it's hidden beauty. The people, culture and "positive proactive mining community" here are amazing! I also work with other FLC alumni - 2 geologists and 1 engineer. We've made a pretty good impression on what they can expect of FLC grads!

Amanda & Matthew Burkman class of ''06

My husband and I both graduated from FLC in 2006. I got my BA in English Education and my husband got his BA in Math and a BS in Biochemistry. I have always known that I wanted to teach, so I was hired as a high school English teacher in Aurora Public School right away while my husband thought about what he wanted to do. After watching me teach for a year, he decided that he also wanted to teach, so he entered into Aurora Public School's program where for math and science teachers they can teach in the classroom while they get some classes specific to education, paid for by the district, Teacher-in-Residence. Unfortunately, he entered teaching at a time when cuts were CRAZY in the area schools, and he was let go after two years because of the 'last in- first out' policies in schools when cuts were needed. Then he moved to CCSD to work in their expulsion school, and he found his niche! He was so great with those students. I was still in Aurora Public Schools, slowly being promoted to various positions. However, after two years, the same thing happened with the budget in Cherry creek, and my husband's school lost ALL of their probationary teachers!

Being an ARMY brat, I knew about the military schools overseas, but I wasn't sure how to get into them. Fortunately, my sister had just been hired one year earlier to the military school in Portugal, so we went online to fill out the application to for Department of Defense schools, and we waited. We are both in love with teaching and things in educational politics, funding, and regulations was turning south and seriously cramping out abilities and motivation in Aurora.

In July of 2011, he got a call and was offered the job in Turkey. While we were flattered, we quickly decided that we couldn't just pick up and move to Turkey, especially with our boys. Within hours of turning down the job, the Principal of the school called us and asked us to reconsider; so we did, and it was the best decision we have ever made. This is our fourth year in Turkey and we love it! It is a small school with small class sizes where we teach the students of the military service members here at our base. There are several schools worldwide, and we are encouraged to transfer schools in this 'district' so that we stay relevant and understand the struggles of the military families. This is the educational setting that I dreamed about all those years ago when I knew that teaching was what I was born to do. We travel on all of our breaks, even our three day weekends, and our own children are getting such a great opportunity to see the world. We return to Denver every summer to see family, and we are so incredibly happy here!!

Amanda & Matthew Burkman class of '06

Jeff Kuss '06

One of Fort Lewis College’s own is taking to the skies with the legendary Blue Angels. Marine Capt. Jeff Kuss was named as a F/A-18 demonstration pilot for the Navy’s famous flight squadron. Capt. Kuss is a 2006 graduate of Fort Lewis College with a degree in economics. Read more

Joslynn Lee '06

FLC alumna, Joslynn Lee '06, is shown here receiving her PhD hood. Joslynn, who earned her degree from Fort Lewis College in Chemistry, has begun a post-doctoral appointment at the University of Minnesota Medical School under the Native American Faculty Development Program. Read more in the

Congratulations to Stefanie Sarah Sinclair '11, who received her Marketing and International Business degree, then went on to get her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Tulsa. She was hooded in December, took the February Bar and has been sworn in to both the Oklahoma Bar Association and the Cherokee Nation Bar Association.

Robert Wall '03

Austin, TX (May 2014) - Segal McCambridge Singer and Mahoney, Ltd. is pleased to welcome Robert Wall as Of Counsel in its Austin office. Mr. Wall represents insurers in the defense of first-party lawsuits arising from claims on commercial and personal lines of insurance, including homeowners, business owners, commercial property and inland marine lines. He received his J.D. from the University of Colorado School of Law (2008) and holds a B.A. in Business Economics from Fort Lewis College (2003). He is a member of the Austin Bar Association—Civil Litigation Section, the Austin Young Lawyers Association, the Texas Association of Defense Counsel and the Texas Bar Association—Insurance Section.

Luc Cisna, '99

As an extraordinary soccer player for Fort Lewis College, Luc Cisna was a two-time All-American, two time Academic All-American, two-time all-region performer, two-time team captain and a rare four-time academic all-conference performer for the Skyhawks and received the 1999-2000 Fort Lewis Male Athlete of the Year award. He guided FLC to four conference championships and the NCAA national title game in 1999.

Cisna, class of ‘99 currently is HR/Organizational Development Manager at Colorado State University-Global Campus and has also founded the custom blazer design company, multiblazer. The company designed the blazers worn by FLC soccer coaches at the national championship ring ceremony honoring the 2011 NCAA Division II Soccer Championship win by the Skyhawks Men’s Soccer team. He has partnered with fellow alums Josh Veryser ’03 and Andy Finley ’02 after reconnecting in Denver, and who are fellow Athletics Hall of Fame honorees in Men’s Soccer.

FLC Professor of Biology Doing Environmental Research

FLC professor, Heidi Steltzer, is doing research on CO2 and plant growing seasons.

Playwright Eric Coble's newest work The Velocity of Autumn, opened April 21st at the Booth Theatre on Broadway in NYC. Read the full story here. Courtesy of the New York Times. Check out the website for the production.

Ramona Pierson, '94

Ramona Pierson '94 overcame a horrendous car crash and resulting coma to become a leader in industry. Read her full story here.